Our sectors
We work with clients to strengthen markets, build resilience, and promote inclusive, sustainable growth in four main sectors.
Agriculture
Strengthening agricultural value chains by improving finance, input access, and market integration for smallholder and commercial farmers.
Forestry
Analysing and designing investment and impact opportunities across forestry and agro-forestry markets.
Food security & nutrition
Developing food system strategies that enhance post-harvest infrastructure, food security, and nutrition outcomes.
Climate & energy
Designing and scaling solutions that build resilience and reduce emissions in key sectors.
Development and Implementation of Msingi East Africa
Supported the strategic development and setup of Msingi, a new East African organisation jointly funded by Gatsby and DFID with $50 million to develop East Africa's high-growth industries, focusing on technology transfer and innovation. The team led the regional aquaculture sector analysis and developed a detailed 10-year sector transformation strategy combining TA, grant, and debt investments, resulting in an initial anchor investment into Victory Farms (now the largest East African aquaculture firm) alongside TA to 20 other firms, with notable follow-on investments from multiple new entrants including AgDevCo, DOB, and Nutreco.
Evaluation of forestry investment portfolio for FMO
Conducted an in-depth assessment of FMO's forestry investment portfolio to refine its forestry investment strategy and processes, analysing historical performance data and learnings across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Provided recommendations to improve investment criteria and processes, adapt instruments for different investment geographies and risk-return profiles, and highlighted the importance of concessional funding to create additionality in sectors where returns may not match private capital expectations.
Rapid market assessment of biofortified foods in six countries in Africa and Asia for Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
Conducted rapid market assessments of 9 biofortified crop varieties across 6 countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania), gathering data through interviews with processors, aggregators, and retailers on production volumes, yields, and sales. The study modelled total market share and found that biofortified crops have gained significant market share, while identifying key barriers to uptake including farmers' reluctance due to perceived lower yields and mixing issues during aggregation and processing.
Advising GEAPP on agri-energy investments in Malawi
Supported the Demand & Enterprise Development (DED) team at Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) in scaling distributed renewable energy (DRE) solutions through grant funds and concessional capital in Malawi. The team prioritised agri-energy projects based on cost, impact potential, and scalability through in-country stakeholder interviews and value chain analysis, developing a shortlist of high-potential priority projects and catalytic finance vehicles including results-based finance (RBF) with a focus on reaching more marginalised groups such as women smallholders.
Development of £10 million Agricultural Catalytic Fund for AgDevCo
Supported AgDevCo in identifying a potential pipeline of investments for a £10 million fund by analysing constraints on developing a profitable agriculture sector in Malawi, identifying potential buyers of agricultural commodities and project investors, and developing a financial model along with a monitoring and evaluation methodology. The team modelled the fund's impact potential and co-presented it to DFID and the AgDevCo board, ultimately contributing to AgDevCo's successful fundraising efforts.
Paper on forestry investment strategy & impact in Africa for British International Investment (BII)
Research and draft an accessible report on forestry investment strategy and impact within Africa, conducting a comprehensive review of the historical context and evolution of the forestry sector through primary and secondary research, along with stakeholder consultations with BII teams and external forestry experts. The team released a public-facing paper emphasising the importance of sustainable forestry for job creation, economic growth, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation, while analysing historical challenges and sharing a vision for the future of sustainable forestry and smallholder forestry impacts on the continent.
Nutrition-lens investment screening framework and tool for USAID and the Development Finance Corporation (DFC)
Developed a nutrition-lens investment framework and tool for impact investors and development finance institutions (DFIs) to screen and monitor deals that lead to nutrition impact, consisting of an overarching theory of change examining points in the food system where private sector investment can drive positive nutrition outcomes along with screening metrics and guidance. The framework was adopted by USDFC for screening several nutrition-lens investments, including a tilapia producer in Mozambique and a dehydrated fruit and vegetable processor in India, and has also been adopted by other facilities and programs such as Aceli Africa and Manufacturing Africa.
Learning partner for Climate Innovation Facility (CIF) for British International Investment (BII)
M&E partner for BII's £240 million Climate Innovation Facility (CIF), which invests concessional capital into technologies and business models supporting climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes, developing a Theory of Change and results measurement framework that includes indicators for measuring sustainable agriculture investments such as GHG emissions avoided and farmer resilience.